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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Come join the family for the hilarious and critically acclaimed breakout hit of the year! Featuring an all-star cast led by Ed O’Neill, Sofia Vargara, Julie Bowen, and Ty Burrell, Modern Family takes a refreshing and funny view of what it means to raise a family in this hectic day and age. Multi-cultural relationships, adoption, and same-sex marriage are just a few of the timely issues faced by the show’s three wildly-diverse broods. No matter the size or shape, family always comes first in this hilariously “modern” look at life, love, and laughter.

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The handheld, observational, fake documentary format complete with character interview segments has become a sitcom device so familiar and accessible, thanks to the success of The Office and Parks and Recreation, that it doesn't feel at all like a rip-off in Modern Family. In fact, the technique seems to be entirely its own in this fresh, smart, and very funny show that premiered to immediate acclaim in 2009. Three affluent Southern California households--the Delgado-Pritchetts, the Dunphys, and the Pritchett-Tuckers--thrum with uproarious life and bustling activities showcased in pithy episode arcs that are neat, if not always tidy. The homes and lifestyles are glossy and well ordered, yet simultaneously full of the chaos and commonplace confusion that make up real life for real modern families everywhere. Each of the 10 personalities in the ensemble is expertly nuanced, a feat that should be credited not only to the show's creators Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd, but also to actors who have without exception been impeccably cast. Each one takes care to bring the tiniest detail of comic shading to their abundant interaction and to the equally important element of their own personal and wildly idiosyncratic character business.

Ed O'Neill plays patriarch Jay Pritchett, a man who's made his bundle, divorced his first wife, and finally found true happiness with Gloria, a much younger Colombian woman who seems to have bounced off the set of a risqué Univision quiz show. Her 10-year-old son Manny, who exhibits many of the traits of a 30-year-old Lothario, completes the first of the unusual family units. The Dunphy household comprises Jay's daughter Claire, her dorky husband Phil, and their three kids, Haley, Alex, and Luke. Phil Dunphy (Ty Burrell) fancies himself a cool dad who's his kids' best friend. But despite his zealous best intentions he's really just an embarrassment, sometimes most of all to Claire (Julie Bowen), who often treats him like her fourth child. Household three is occupied by Jay's gay son Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and his partner Cameron (Eric Stonestreet), who bring home an adopted Vietnamese baby in the pilot episode for them and everyone else to fawn over. The comic combinations of controlled nuclear family explosions precipitated by this episodic mix are consistently filled with an unending string of gags that burn the full range of comic fuel from gentle smiles to full-on guffaws. There are nominal story threads (we're not in the land of Seinfeld's "no hugging, no learning" edict), but most of the entertainment comes from throwaway lines and the kind of interaction that feels more like expert improv tossed off by seasoned pros than it does scripted TV farce. There's also a fair amount of precisely executed physical comedy, especially around the Dunphy household (Ty Burrell is highly skilled in the practice of bodily buffoonery), and the show never shies away from either playing up or laying to rest the stereotypes and clichés it brings up with good-natured abandon. Gay people act gay! Latin people are hot-blooded! Kids are stupid! Parents are clueless!

It's also fun to see some famous faces appear as guests or in cameo roles--Edward Norton, Minnie Driver, Elizabeth Banks, Benjamin Bratt, Shelley Long--all of whom clearly get the joke and are having a great time joining in (especially good is Fred Willard, who was born to play Phil's dad). The four-disc set has a limited number of special features that include some back story bits about the actors and how some of the show's themes developed from the real lives of the writers' real modern families. Best of all are extended scenes and outtakes from the family interview segments that only enhance the casual hilarity that rolls so effortlessly from character to character throughout each episode. It's easy to look forward to time spent in the company of the Pritchett-Dunphy-Tucker clan. --Ted Fry

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Modern Family has something for everyone! Great acting, clever, orginal scripts, and warmth and humor combine to make this a great series that can (and should) be watched over and over again. As you will see in this Season 1 DVD, the show hits the ground running and has only gotten better as it goes along.

It is great to see the interactions between the characters...parents-children, husbands-wives, in-laws, brothers and sisters, and so on. We get to know them, along with their hopes and dreams, wants and needs, and yes, flaws or quirks, which only serve to endear them to us even more. While we may not understand exactly what attracted the young, fiery Gloria to Jay, or how Cam from Missouri happened to stumble into the Pritchett clan, just be glad they did!

Just to select a favorite episode or two...The Incident (which could more accurately be titled The Calamity) and Up all Night both keep the laughs coming. Airport 2010 makes you wonder if the family will ever get on board the plane, but even if they are not having fun during the seemingly-endless wait, the viewers certainly are! Finally, listen carefully during Coal Digger....is that REALLY what Claire was saying?

Oh, that was four episodes, wasn't it? Well, as each viewer will see, it is very difficult to narrow down! The DVD also includes deleted and alternate scenes, gag reels, and interviews.

We all need a laugh every now and then, and Modern Family provides them in abundance! If you watch Season 1, you will then be hooked on Seasons 2, 3, 4, and all that follow! Enjoy!

Watch just one episode of MODERN FAMILY and you will be hooked on the outrageously funny adventures of the Pritchett family. Here is a show with charm and humor. No show since SEINFELD has made me laugh so hard and so joyously.

Ed O'Neill is back on TV as Jay Pritchett, the patriarch of this unusual clan. Sixty-something Jay is married to a much younger and totally gorgeous and saucy Colombian woman named Gloria. Along with Gloria comes her son Manny from a previous marriage. Manny is one of the many stand-outs in this show. Overweight and often awkward, Manny is amazingly self-confident thanks to his "don't mess with my son" mother.

Jay's son Mitchell and his partner Cam have adopted a Vietnamese baby to complete their family. Mitchell and especially Cam can be over the top in campy gay stereotypic fashion. Don't miss the episode of a terrified Mitchell trying rid the house of a pigeon that has accidentally and harmlessly flown into their house.Mitchell's sister Claire is equally as high strung and leaning to drama as he is. She's married to the goofy but loveable Phil. Their three children round out the show as three very different characters.

The writing is so crisp and so funny in MODERN FAMILY. The one-liners are hilarious and the show crosses the bounds of political correctness in a way that we know not to take certain comments too seriously. Gloria is a fiery latina with a fiery temper along with a passionate zest for life. It's easy to believe that she actually loves Jay and they do have a happy marriage. Her Spanish accent is forced to almost the point of ridiculousness. Think of Charo for those of a certain age. I don't know if Sofia Vergara has an accent in real life but definitely she's playing up Gloria's way of speaking. Sofia Vergara must be one of the most beautiful woman around and she sure is a treat to watch.

There is an extra treat in MODERN FAMILY. Don't miss Minnie Driver, Shelly Long, Benjamin Bratt, Elizabeth Banks and Edward Norton in various guest roles. One thing that makes this show so special is that despite all their disagreements and annoyances with each other, in the end this family loves and respects each other. It's over the top at times, not politically correct but MODERN FAMILY is totally delightful.

'Modern Family' isn't the best comedy ever to be on television and I surely think it can be overrated at times, but the first few seasons really are nicely done. It's also the type of show where you really can't just jump in on any episode; you have to learn about the characters for things to be funny/ironic.

I would say that Cameron and Mitchell are the most hilarious couple, with Cam being very overdramatic while Cam is more shy and reserved. The two adopt a daughter in the first episode and their lives really revolve around her (and their drama). I remind myself a lot of Cam, so I'm biased.

The Dunphy's are my second favorite. At first I hated Phil, but now he's one of my favorites. He can act like a totally idiot and is the "wannabe" cool dad, but it works because the combination of that with his strong work ethic and helping around the house make him a great family member. Although it's interesting that the show is called 'MODERN Family' considering that none of the women have jobs, they have broken some new ground by having husband and wife sharing chores. Phil and Claire will go grocery shopping together and make dinner together; it's not just her taking care of the bumbling husband.

Jay, Gloria, and Manny Pritchett are probably my least favorite. Manny is really funny and Ed O'Neill as Jay really gives some classic Al Bundy looks, but Gloria is just irritating sometimes that I can't stand her. The other storylines are just funnier, anyway.

Some people didn't think it was possible to make another "classic family sitcom" in this day and age because of how much technology is used. Instead of pretending like it doesn't exist, the show successfully integrates technology into the show and just makes it a part of their everyday lives.

Definitely a groundbreaking show in its own right, although the recent episodes (season 4) have been rather disappointing.